Researchers looked at cancer data on 1230 children between the ages of 15 and 19-years-old.
Among teen girls, the incidence of melanoma doubled from 15 cases per million people in 1973, to almost 30 per million in 2009.
Experts say more research needs to be done to determine what caused the rise. Spending too much time in the sun could be part of the answer.
The study was published in the "Pediatrics" journal.